Katniss and the Silent Witness
by RichardJ
Summary: What happens when a chance meeting puts a fiery red-haired Capitol girl with a moody black haired District girl? Athena and Katniss have virtually nothing in common, but together they might stand a chance of overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles denying each of them their freedom from President Snow's evil regime. A short M-rated story.
1. Objects to be served

Suzanne Collins is acknowledged as the creator of The Hunger Games characters and series.

Prelude (from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

... a girl sets a gorgeous-looking cake on the table and deftly lights it. It blazes up and then the flames flicker around the edges for a while until it finally goes out.

"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" says Katniss, looking up at the girl. "That's the last thing I wa— Oh! I know you!"

Katniss can't place a name or time to the girl's face. But she's certain she's seen the girl before. The dark red hair, the striking features, the porcelain white skin. But even as Katniss utters the words, her insides contract with anxiety and guilt at the sight of the red-haired girl. She instinctively knows some bad memory is associated with the girl. The expression of terror that crosses the girl's face only adds to Katniss's confusion and unease. The girl shakes her head in denial and quickly hurries away from the table. When Katniss turns her attention back to the others, the four adults are watching her like hawks.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" snaps Effie. "The very thought."

"What's an Avox?" asks Katniss.

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," says Haymitch. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," says Effie. "Of course, you don't really know her."

But Katniss does know her. And now that Haymitch has mentioned the word traitor, she remembers from where. But for her own safety she cannot tell the others.

"No, I guess not, I just—", stammers Katniss, still suffering from the effects of too much wine.

1\. Objects to be served

The red-haired Avox quickly returns to her station next to the service elevator inside the suite assigned to the District Twelve tributes. She looks around nervously in case her supervisor saw what happened. One of the many security cameras in the suite will have undoubtedly recorded the exchange. Fortunately there is little likelihood that the supervisor was watching the output of that particular camera at that precise moment, and he'll have no reason to check the recordings unless someone betrays her. After a few minutes she begins to relax. Both her small portable communications pad and the tracking device embedded inside her left arm remain dormant. No message on the pad telling her to report to her supervisor at once. More importantly, no punishment. No painful shock from the device in her arm which would leave her writhing in agony.

Avox RH438, formerly known as Athena, doesn't wish to lose this coveted assignment. Most Avoxes serve out their entire sentences working in the filth and dirt of the Capitol's underground service tunnels. Many never survive the ordeal. One mistake by Athena, or even an unsubstantiated complaint to her supervisor, could see her permanently transferred to the darkness of the service tunnels. It's only thanks to her parents' influence that she was given this assignment working inside the Hunger Games Training Centre. An expression of gratitude when they realised Athena wasn't going to denounce them to the tribunal in exchange for a shorter sentence. The tribunal made it so tempting for her to do so, but Athena found the courage to resist. Six years of being nothing more than a state slave will be hard to bear. A lifetime of being mute even worse. But exposing her parents' part in the conspiracy against President Snow would only make orphans of her and her younger sister. As it is, her parents will need to curb their political activities now they are under suspicion. Athena is convinced that she only escaped the death penalty because she was not yet eighteen.

What are the odds that the girl she and Gideon had briefly seen in the woods outside District Twelve would turn up here? The anger Athena had felt at the girl's failure to help her and Gideon's escape had been only for a moment. She quickly realised that neither the girl nor the boy with her could have done anything to save Athena and Gideon from their pursuers. They would have simply been two more deaths to add to the innocent victims of Gideon's plan.

Gideon paid for his rashness with his life. Now Athena must respect his memory, and her folly, by suffering the tribunal's cruel punishment without complaint. She should have followed her parent's advice and refused to be a party to Gideon's foolish plan. But love clouded her judgement. In the cold light of day she now understands that Gideon's plan was never going to succeed. All it achieved was a score of sacrificed lives, and a terrifying five week ordeal being chased through the wilderness. What a waste ... and nothing but ruined lives to show for it.

Perhaps not nothing ... Gideon's plan did achieve one thing. An unlikely chance meeting with the girl who is now the female Hunger Games tribute for District Twelve. Fate. Athena has always believed in what many call Fate. The district girl's presence here must mean something. Fate would not allow their separate paths to cross twice in such a short space of time if the girl from District Twelve wasn't important to Fate's plan for Athena. While she was in Gideon's thrall, Athena believed she understood what Fate's plan entailed. A plan which, according to Gideon, neatly coincided with his master plan. Athena's father had warned her that Gideon was just using her to further his own political ambitions. But she didn't listen. At the time she was convinced that their relationship was true love, and that Fate had brought them together. Perhaps Fate did bring them together, but any romantic notions Athena held were frequently abused by Gideon's selfishness and domineering personality. She's finally woken up to the fact that she was little more than a sex toy in his eyes. A compliant one, perhaps, but even Athena knew it was a relationship that couldn't last. It was a union dictated by Fate, and Fate would determine when it should end. Fate did.

After Gideon's death, Athena had abandoned what she believed was Fate's plan for her, and hadn't thought about it since. But meeting this girl tonight has rekindled her faith. Fate must still have a plan for Athena. Her only failing was to misinterpret what that plan requires from her. Perhaps meeting Gideon was Fate's way of introducing Athena to this girl from District Twelve. Having met her, then Gideon's part in the plan had been fulfilled. His life was expendable. Not that Athena wanted Gideon to die. He was domineering and rough with her, but he knew how to drive her wild with lust. A pleasure seeking plaything for him to manipulate and control. Secretly, Athena misses the dark joys of wantonness Gideon could draw from her.

The arrival of a trolley of dirty plates and left over food pushed by Avox QE788 breaks Athena's train of thought. None of the Avoxes working here know the real names of their fellow slaves, or in fact, anything about their background. Everyone is referred to by their serial number, tattooed on their left shoulder and visible through the cutaway section of the Avox uniform. QE788 is a woman in her mid-twenties and one of those who are more friendly towards Athena. Being mute means conversation is limited to hand signals or scribbled notes on the small electronic pads each Training Centre Avox carries with them at all times. Use of the communications pad is constantly monitored and any message which isn't work related can result in a swift punishment transmitted through the device embedded in each Avox's arm.

Athena prepares to help position the trolley onto the small service elevator. The elevator car measures only a metre in each direction. It'll be a struggle to get the trolley positioned correctly so that the door can be closed. An Avox will be stationed in the basement to retrieve the trolley and wheel it to the kitchen. There, the dishes will be washed, and the leftover food from all the suites will be gathered to make up the evening meal for the Avoxes. Athena and QE788 are on duty until midnight, so their meals should be delivered here later on. That's if their supervisor remembers, and the food doesn't go astray on the journey.

Athena looks at QE788 and gauges whether it is worth the risk of sneaking a bit of food from one of the plates. Neither of them have had a meal since breakfast, so hunger is starting to play on Athena's mind. Unfortunately, pilfering food ... even scraps ... is a crime punishable by a flogging in front of the other Avoxes. There are several Avoxes who enjoy seeing a young girl stripped to the waist and being flogged. Not that the threat of a flogging prevents some pilfering. It simply means you need to be careful. The golden rule is to trust no-one and beware of the multitude of security cameras.

Athena decides she isn't hungry enough to risk the punishment for being caught. Although she would like to trust QE788, the temptation to earn the supervisor's favour by reporting Athena's crime might prove too much for her. Divide and conquer is the philosophy applied to the management of all Avoxes, and the supervisors actively discourage the formation of alliances and friendships. The supervisors will quickly reassign anyone whom they suspect is too friendly with another Avox.

The trolley is sent on its way to the basement and QE788 returns to the dining area to finish clearing the table. Athena wonders whether she should join her since it is unlikely any more deliveries for this suite will arrive in the service elevator. But orders are orders, and independent thought is not tolerated. Her supervisor specified that she was to remain by the elevator and retrieve any deliveries which arrive. Earlier on, deliveries were constantly arriving, and she only had time to remove the items and place them in the small lobby by the elevator before sending the car back down to the basement. There had been two more Avoxes helping, who had ferried the food and drink to the table and served the diners. Only when the meal was winding down did the other Avoxes get called away, presumably to help clean up in the kitchen, leaving Athena and QE788 to manage alone. That's when Athena decided to deliver the cake to the table herself. An act which brought her face to face with the girl from District Twelve.

A message arrives on Athena's communications pad. At first she fears it might be a belated summons by her supervisor, but it's simply an instruction telling her to help QE788 clear up and prepare the tributes' rooms for sleeping. Athena sends the required acknowledgement and goes to find QE788. The guests have moved through to the lounge area, enabling QE788 to make good progress with clearing the table. Athena signals to her that she will start work on the bedrooms.

The list of bedtime duties is extensive but not particularly difficult. Clear away any discarded clothing; straighten the bedding and turn back the sheets. A quick tidy up of the bathroom. Lay out some nightwear on the bed should the guest require it. Being the first night of the tribute's stay, Athena has no idea what nightwear the two tribute's might require. For all she knows, people of the districts might not use nightwear at all.

The male tribute's room is quickly finished and Athena moves onto the girl's room. QE788 is now working on the bedrooms for the tribute's support staff, although only one of them seems to be residing in this suite tonight. During her initial training, Athena was told that there are normally two mentors and an escort assigned to each pair of tributes. District Twelve seems to only have one mentor, and their escort is obviously sleeping elsewhere.

Athena examines the girl's room carefully, trying to gauge what sort of person she is, and what might be so important about her that Fate has brought the two of them together twice. Unfortunately there's not much she can learn. The girl is relatively tidy ... for a district girl. There are few of her personal items left lying around. Nothing that helps Athena assess what the girl is like. The door opens just as Athena is collecting girl's clothes and boots from where she left them on the floor. They stare at each other for a moment. The girl looks uncertain, and seems to be on the brink of apologizing for nearly getting Athena into trouble earlier.

"Oh, sorry," says the girl. "I was supposed to get those back to Cinna. I'm sorry. Can you take them to him?"

Athena avoids the girl's eyes, gives a small nod, and heads out of the door with the items she's been told to deliver to Cinna. Until now Athena has avoided thinking of these guests as people with names. The tributes will almost certainly be dead within a couple weeks, and the support team will go back to doing whatever they normally do. Acknowledging their names will make Athena see them as real people rather than faceless objects to be served. Real people with emotions, hopes and dreams of their own. Once her mental barrier is breached, Athena can no longer think of these people as objects. They have names. Names her supervisor ensured she was taught; names she must now acknowledge to herself.

Cinna is talking to Haymitch and Effie, so Athena waits patiently for an opportunity to carry out her task. She can't wait for long as she must return to finish her duties in Katniss Everdeen's room. She places the items Katniss asked her to deliver on a chair where she hopes Cinna will notice them should Athena not be present when he leaves. Athena returns to Katniss's room. She knocks on the door and Katniss answers. By means of hand signals, Athena indicates to Katniss that she wishes to complete her assigned duties. Katniss's allows Athena to enter the room although she doesn't take her eyes off Athena. Clearly she's never been waited on before ... few district girls have.

The final task is to lay out some nightwear for Katniss. Athena has a moment of panic. There's a choice of nightwear in the drawer. There's the Training Centre standard issue pyjamas ... safe but boring ... and a skimpy nightdress that Cinna must have designed. Athena studies the nightdress in amazement. Even the most promiscuous of Capitol girls would think twice before wearing such an item. It's an awkward moment, since Katniss has been watching Athena while she carries out her duties. Should Athena simply lay out the skimpy nightdress, which Cinna presumably intends Katniss to wear, or does she indicate that Katniss should make her own choice of nightwear.

"Select the item you would you wear to bed if you were me," says Katniss when she sees Athena's hesitation.

Which leaves Athena with a difficult decision. Before she met Gideon, the boring pyjamas would have been her choice. But in Gideon's company, the skimpy nightie would have been all that he would have allowed her to wear. Athena still remembers the erotic thrill she experienced wearing the indecent clothing ... at least by her parents' strict standards ... Gideon sometimes insisted she put on. Perhaps experiencing some hedonistic pleasure is what Katniss needs to distract her from her plight. Cinna must think so; otherwise, why did he design the nightie? But what works for Athena might not work for Katniss. She might be offended if Athena selected such a garment.

But Fate has brought them together, so Fate will guide Athena's choice. She picks up the skimpy nightdress and lays it out on the bed without looking at Katniss. Athena quickly puts the pyjamas away and makes a hasty move for the door.

"Wait!" calls Katniss. "I don't know your name. I would like to know your name."

Athena curses silently. Katniss must be offended and she's obviously going to report Athena to her supervisor. Reluctantly she turns towards Katniss and shows her the identification mark on her shoulder.

"What? RH438? No. I mean your real name," says Katniss.

Athena shakes her head in refusal before fleeing from Katniss's room. There are strict rules denying Athena use of her real name. But refusing an order is also a punishable offence. Now she must wait to see if Katniss reports her to the supervisor, and await her punishment.

Fortunately, Athena isn't so preoccupied with her near disaster in the bedroom to forget to hand the discarded clothing to Cinna. Effie has already departed, and Cinna is clearly about to leave. Haymitch is flopped out on the couch looking the worse for drink. Athena hopes it won't be left to her to get Haymitch cleaned up and into his bed. Her supervisor's instructions weren't very specific on that subject.

"Did you find the nightdress I had made for Katniss?" asks Cinna of Athena. She nods in reply.

"Yes she did," interrupts Katniss, who is standing in the doorway of her bedroom. "Why do you think a tiny nightie like this is something I should wear in the privacy of my bedroom? Are you selling tickets to the guards watching the security cameras?"

It isn't clear to whom Katniss is addressing her question. Is she expecting a response from Cinna ... the designer ... explaining his motive, or from Athena, justifying her choice.

"There are no security cameras inside your room," replies Cinna. Athena knows his statement isn't strictly correct. There are hidden cameras in every room, but the bedroom cameras are supposedly switched off automatically when a guest is inside their own room. Athena has no idea whether that is true or not.

"So why the nightdress?" persists Katniss.

"That is something you should work out for yourself," replies Cinna. "I merely observe that despite your objections, you haven't hesitated to put on the nightdress. And that you look very attractive wearing it."

Katniss becomes flustered and blushes at Cinna's compliment. She's about to retreat back into her room when there is a disgusting retching sound from the lounge. Haymitch has been sick on the carpet and is now lying in his own vomit. Athena quickly rushes to fetch the cleaning equipment, while Cinna and Katniss go to rescue Haymitch. Fortunately the service area in each suite contains the necessary equipment for just such an emergency. Athena sets about clearing up the stinking mess, while Cinna guides the semi-conscious Haymitch to his bathroom. A cold shower should bring him around quick enough. But it seems Haymitch doesn't intend to go quietly.

Once again Athena finds herself in close proximity to Katniss. Fortunately Katniss is more preoccupied with telling Haymitch to be quiet. Athena soon has the stain cleaned up, although the smell will take a few more minutes to disperse. The commotion has attracted Peeta Mellark's attention and he has come out of his bedroom to investigate the noise. He helps Cinna drag the protesting Haymitch into Haymitch's room. Peeta returns to the living area a few moments later, obviously content to leave Haymitch in Cinna's care. It's then when he notices Katniss standing there in her short skimpy nightie.


	2. Working late

2\. Working late

As soon as Katniss realises Peeta is looking at her she lets out a shriek. Her reaction confirms Athena's earlier suspicion that despite Katniss's outwardly tough nature, the district girl is very shy and naïve. Katniss belatedly throws her arms over her private parts and backs away into her bedroom. Peeta simply stands there looking bewildered, although Athena notices that he makes no attempt to avert his eyes.

It strikes Athena as amusing that Katniss should happily display herself before Cinna, Haymitch and her, while being horrified that Peeta should see her dressed so immodestly. But then Cinna has presumably already seen her naked; Haymitch is too drunk to notice anything; and Athena is a nobody in the girl's eyes. Yet again, Athena silently questions what possible role could Fate hold for Katniss. A Hunger Games tribute needs to show courage and skill to survive in the arena. A silly timid girl is merely fodder for those tributes who will exploit any weakness. And if Katniss doesn't survive the 74th Hunger Games, then how is she to perform whatever role Fate has ordained for her in the battle to overthrow the evil rule of President Snow. For it is that battle which Athena believes more than ever that she and Katniss are fated to play major roles. Fate. It always comes back to Fate.

Peeta returns to his room while Athena finishes tidying up Haymitch's contribution to the room décor. It suddenly dawns on her that she hasn't seen QE788 for a while. Athena completes her work and goes to look for QE788. She finds her sitting by the service elevator eating a plate of food. There's a second plate placed by her side, which Athena assumes is her share of the meal made up from the tributes' leftovers. It's not much, and she briefly wonders whether QE788 has sneaked some of Athena's share onto her plate. It's an easy trick to do, and there's minimal chance of being caught if you're careful. Athena gives a questioning look at QE788 but she shows no sign of guilt. Athena settles down to eat the cold food. She eats slowly so as to make the meagre rations last as long as possible. An Avox soon learns how to minimise the effects of hunger.

Athena and QE788 still have another hour of duty before they are due to be summoned to the Avox dormitories in the basement. The dormitories are little better than a line of large prison cells, each with bunks for twelve Avoxes. Since they will be among the last Avoxes to finish work tonight they'll be forced to sleep wherever they can find a bunk. Officially the dormitories should be segregated by gender, but the supervisors never enforce the rule, and an Avox isn't in a position to complain. Early in her training Athena had learnt to be wary of two-legged predators in the mixed gender dormitories. Even so, it's far better than being forced to live and work in the dank service tunnels underneath the Capitol.

The empty plates are dispatched to the kitchen as soon as Athena finishes her meal. The suite is quiet now that the tributes have retired to their rooms and Haymitch seems to have fallen asleep. A short while later they are disturbed by a sudden noise. Both Avoxes go to investigate and they see Cinna preparing to depart.

"Haymitch has passed out," says Cinna. "Check on him before you go off duty in case he has been sick again."

Both Avoxes nod in acknowledgement. Both hope Haymitch will be okay. Anything which delays them in reaching the dormitories may mean only the bunks in D5 will be unused. Dormitory Five is the regular night time domain of the notorious Avox KT184. Both Athena and QE788 are fearful of KT184 ... a great brute of a man with violent tendencies, particularly towards women. Even the supervisors are careful in his handling. Why he is allowed to work in the Training Centre is a complete mystery. Thankfully he is usually assigned to work in the District One suite.

Cinna leaves. The two Avoxes set about tidying the lounge area and preparing the table for breakfast. They will be back on duty at seven o'clock in the morning, but the more they can prepare in readiness for the morning, the less frantic their early morning duties will be.

Athena is setting the table for breakfast when she hears the door to Katniss Everdeen's room open. She continues with her work although she watches the girl in case she requires something. Katniss looks around her as though she doesn't want to be noticed. It's a forlorn hope since not only does Athena see her, but at least two security cameras have her in their sights. However, she may be lucky. The cameras aren't likely to be actively monitored at this time of night, and Athena has no reason to betray her. The cameras have motion sensors capable of alerting the security officers in the control room of any detected movement, but the sensors won't be switched on until after Athena and QE788 finish their work.

Katniss sees Athena, but she doesn't seem concerned by the presence of her silent witness. As for Athena, she simply watches as Katniss walks towards the adjacent room. Peeta Mellark's room. Athena notices that the girl is still wearing the skimpy nightie, despite her earlier embarrassment. Katniss knocks lightly on the room door and it is promptly opened. The speed of the response to Katniss's knock suggests Peeta Mellark is expecting his visitor. An assignation is easy enough to arrange. The communications console in each room enables both voice and video calls to be made to almost anywhere in the entire building.

Athena is wrong in assuming that the meeting between Katniss and Peeta is of a romantic nature. Notwithstanding the alluring attire Katniss is wearing ... which doesn't leave Peeta entirely unaffected ... their meeting has a more serious purpose. What Athena doesn't know is that the subject of the conversation between Katniss and Peeta is her. She would panic if she knew how careless the two tributes are being by openly talking about Athena in full view of a hidden camera. Fortunately the camera has switched off automatically because Peeta is present in his room. The Head of Security would have liked to override this half-hearted attempt at granting privacy to the tributes, but the Gamemakers insist. Not that the Head of Security always complies with the Gamemakers commands, but in this case he has done so.

Katniss is far from happy about Peeta's demands that she come to his room tonight. But Katniss owes him a favour for covering up her mistake at the dining table. She now realises that she could have caused both herself and the Avox girl serious trouble by claiming that she knew the girl. The Avox girl is obviously a traitor ... Katniss admitting that she knows the girl would draw unwanted attention to Katniss and her family. Fortunately, Peeta's smooth words made it appear to everyone listening that it was a simple case of mistaken identity. He was lying though. Peeta and Katniss both know that the Avox girl bears no resemblance to Delly Cartwright.

Favour or not, it's an odd time of night for Peeta to be wanting to discuss the Avox girl. Katniss assumed at first that it was simply a ploy by Peeta to get Katniss into his room. She'd noticed the way his eyes never left her body as she fled to the safety of her bedroom earlier. It took her a while to sort out her emotions about that incident. She was shocked and embarrassed, but also rather pleased that she could draw that kind of admiration from a boy. It's not that Katniss hasn't thought about boys and sex before, it's just that she's always been too busy trying keep herself and her family alive. And now, when her life may be abruptly ended within a few weeks, she finds that such thoughts have forced their way to the surface of her mind.

It took Katniss a few moments to agree to Peeta's demand for a late night meeting. It was only when Peeta solemnly promised that he would make no sexual advances that Katniss agreed. Actually, she would probably have agreed anyway, and a small part of her is disappointed that Peeta felt the need to make such a promise. Katniss is the sort of girl who doesn't react well to being given orders, or having limitations put on her actions. Out of sheer stubbornness she decides against changing into more appropriate clothing, and she flounces into Peeta's room in a state of near nakedness. After all, although Peeta promised not to make sexual advances, Katniss didn't promise that she wouldn't do likewise. If nothing else, it means Katniss can use the new found power of her body to bend Peeta to her will.

To Peeta's credit, he tries hard to hide the disturbing effect the sight of Katniss's body is having on him. Like Katniss, he has never been an active participant among the circle of school friends who are constantly finding ways to explore their flowering sexual emotions. He would probably do himself and Katniss a favour if he stopped the pretence and invited Katniss into his bed. But both of them are inexperienced, and neither realises how much the other secretly wishes to throw caution to the wind and make out.

So a sexually charged meeting is limited to a discussion on politics and the like ... and what crime the red-haired Avox girl could have committed to warrant such a punishment. Far from dampening Katniss's obsession with the girl's background, Katniss is even more determined to make amends for her failure to help the girl in the woods of District Twelve. An hour later, Katniss returns to her room. She's surprised to see the two Avoxes are still here, although they are preoccupied in dealing with a problem in Haymitch's room. She debates whether she should investigate the problem, but it's unlikely there will be anything she can do that the Avoxes aren't already doing. Besides, Katniss doesn't feel inclined to give Haymitch some free eye candy. Instead Katniss goes to bed.

Athena and QE788 are both secretly fuming at Haymitch's unreasonable demands. Just before they are due to finish their duties, Haymitch staggers out of his room calling for drink and food. Not an easy to prepare snack, but something that will require time to make. He must have the constitution of an ox given the comatose state he was in barely an hour earlier. Athena relays the order to the kitchen, but the supervisor informs her that the kitchen is closed until morning and that they will need to prepare the meal themselves. QE788 draws the short straw and spends nearly twenty minutes in the kitchen while Athena serves Haymitch with a succession of drinks. By the time QE788 returns with the meal, Haymitch is intoxicated once again and has forgotten that he had ordered a meal. In his confusion he nearly knocks the meal onto the floor, and promptly falls onto his bed and goes to sleep. Athena and QE788 are in the process of secretly eating the unwanted food when Katniss emerges unnoticed from Peeta's room. It's fortunate Katniss doesn't investigate what was going on, or both Avoxes could be in serious trouble.

It's nearly one o'clock in the morning when Athena and QE788 finally report to the area in the basement which serves as the Avox living quarters. As they had feared, their late arrival means the only unoccupied bunks are in Dormitory Five. They quickly prepare for bed, taking great care not to disturb the slumbers of KT184. It's going to be a sleepless night for Athena and QE788, and both of them are determined to be up and ready for duty before the other Avoxes in D5 are woken at six o'clock. Getting up early will at least mean they can shower and dress unobserved by the other Avoxes in D5. It isn't a plan which will guarantee avoiding an encounter with KT184, since the door to D5 will remain locked until six-thirty. Once freed from their cell, Athena and the others will have twenty minutes for breakfast and a further ten minutes to get to their assigned suites. Avoxes aren't permitted to use the elevators, so Athena and QE788 will need to climb the stairs to the topmost suite in the building.

After the tributes' breakfast has been cleared away, their supervisor orders QE788 to help in the basement kitchen. Athena is left alone to tidy up the District Twelve suite. Katniss and Peeta soon leave for their training sessions with the other tributes, and Haymitch doesn't stay for much longer. Athena knows she isn't really alone. The security cameras are everywhere, and everything she does is monitored. Nevertheless, Athena manages to take a good look in Katniss's bedroom as she services her room. Personal belongings can tell a lot about a person, and Athena wants to know as much about Katniss as she can possibly find out. Fate has linked Katniss to Athena's destiny, but the reason why still eludes Athena.

Unfortunately Katniss wasn't allowed to bring any personal belongings to the Capitol, other than the clothes she was wearing at the start of her journey. The blue dress doesn't tell Athena much, other than Katniss comes from a poor, but not destitute, family. Fortunately other things can give clues about a person ... the last television channel their entertainment console displayed, for instance. In Katniss's case, the television hasn't been used at all, which is unusual. However, Athena recalls seeing Katniss go into Peeta Mellark's room late last night. She didn't see Katniss return to her own room, although her bed has been slept in.

Peeta's room provides more clues; both about Peeta and Katniss. Peeta's bed shows signs that only one person slept in it. It means Katniss's presence last night wasn't likely to be for a romantic tryst. It's not conclusive evidence. Athena only needs to recall how she and Gideon used to make out. It was far from being a comfortable position for Athena, but Gideon felt the comforts of a bed were for wimps, and Athena's views didn't count.

Athena continues her investigation while she cleans the room. What nobody here knows is that Athena is very observant and spying is her speciality. That's her main role in the secret organisation plotting to overthrow President Snow. It's still a role she performs for her allies, despite her enslavement. Only now, of course, she needs to be cleverer than ever in carrying out her role.

It's mid morning by the time Athena completes her duties. Now comes the hardest part of the day. She must simply stand and wait in case one of the guests comes to their suite and requires something. A humane regime would allow Athena to sit, but there's nothing humane about the treatment of Avoxes. She must stand in full view of a security camera, and woe betide Athena if she's seen leaning against a wall or is caught nodding off. To break the boredom, Athena mentally recalls all the things she has learned through spying in the Training Centre since her arrival. It's an impressive list, although Athena hasn't been able to relay all of her gathered intelligence to her contact in the secret organisation. To Athena, though, the critical piece of intelligence which is missing is what role in the overthrow of President Snow is Katniss Everdeen destined to play.


	3. Judgement day

3\. Judgement day

Despite their best efforts, both Athena and Katniss must wait until the final day of the tributes' training sessions before getting the chance to learn more about the other. Frustratingly, the additional knowledge each gleans only prompts more questions, and places each of them in greater danger. But this is a game both of them are playing for high stakes, so neither of them looks back with regret.

After Athena spends the first two days of the tributes' training week working in the District Twelve suite, she finds herself assigned to other duties. A day working in the heat and noise of the kitchen is followed by a day in the laundry. At first Athena thinks she is being punished for some unspecified wrongdoing, but she begins to relax when nothing further is said or done. At least the change in duties means slightly shorter work hours. Her earlier finishing time means she is no longer reduced to sleeping in Dormitory Five. Unfortunately she can't entirely avoid crossing paths with KT184. He's assigned to working in the laundry along with Athena and two other Avox girls. The three girls must endure a tense few hours trying to avoid getting too close to KT184. One girl, RA211, gets careless and allows herself to be cornered by KT184. He's not foolish enough to assault her, but his menacing behaviour is enough to terrify the girl. The supervisors merely enjoy the spectacle.

Athena's duties for today are very different. It's judgement day for the tributes. She's to attend to the needs of the Gamemakers who are gathering to assess each of the twenty four tributes and to assign them a score based on their talents. Athena has watched previous Hunger Games, so she knows how the process works in principle. This is the first time she's seen it in real life. During the morning, the Gamemakers simply observe all the tributes as they attend their final training sessions. Officially these sessions aren't scored, but the Gamemakers can't avoid noticing which of the tributes have genuine skills, and which are plainly shamming. While all this is going on, Athena is busy serving drinks and plates of food to the Gamemakers standing on the raised observation platform. Athena is also busy keeping her ears open for careless talk ... and there's plenty of that. Her contact in the secret organisation will be delighted to learn what Athena has picked up from the idle chatter.

It's through her eavesdropping that Athena learns which tributes the Gamemakers regard as serious contenders for the victor's crown. As usual, the four tributes from Districts One and Two are ranked highly. Unlike the tributes from other districts, the four "Careers" are always volunteers who have been training for years. It's no surprise they are ranked highly. Two other tributes join the Gamemakers 'top list', but neither of them is Katniss Everdeen. It seems Katniss is among a small group of tributes who are collectively ranked as the best-of-the-rest.

The Gamemakers' rankings don't guarantee success or failure in the Hunger Games arena, but the higher ranked tributes are likely to attract more sponsors. The support from sponsors during the Games can sometimes make the difference between death or survival to an injured or starving tribute. Athena is relieved that Katniss's provisional ranking shows she has talents that mean she isn't a totally lost cause.

It's the afternoon sessions which provide the Gamemakers with their best chance to assess each tribute. But it's a long and tedious process while the Gamemakers watch each of the 24 tributes in turn as they demonstrate their skills. The demonstrations are done in District order which means the tributes from District Twelve are at a huge disadvantage since they must go last. The Gamemakers have become weary and bored long before it's time for Katniss Everdeen's turn. They are far more interested in the drink and food spread out on the huge table behind their viewing platform, ready for the sumptuous meal the Gamemakers will enjoy while they debate the tributes' final scores. Some of them have already started to drink the intoxicating wines and spirits available in abundance. Athena feels guilty for her part in the whole process, since she and two other Avoxes are the ones responsible for laying out the magnificent spread.

Needless to say, by the time Katniss Everdeen has her turn before the Gamemakers, only a few of them are paying her any attention at all. When her first arrow fired with the strange bow goes wide, the few Gamemakers actually watching her immediately lose interest. It seems to Athena that she's the only observer who notices Katniss's second shot hits the target dead centre. Katniss looks annoyed and puzzled, but is powerless to make the Gamemakers watch her. The Gamemakers have already started to party.

Athena has a dangerous idea. She attracts Katniss's attention and points to an apple wedged in the mouth of the suckling pig which forms the centrepiece of the spread. Athena has faith that Katniss could hit the apple, and it would be an action which would attract the undivided attention of the Gamemakers. But it's a dangerous shot. The Gamemakers are already milling about the table and their movement means Katniss has only momentary glimpses of the apple. Timing her shot will be just as crucial as her aim. Not that Athena would have much sympathy for any Gamemaker who was injured in the process. The Gamemakers are handsomely rewarded for their role in the Hunger Games, and at the moment they should be watching Katniss Everdeen.

Katniss understands Athena's silent message and she reloads her bow. She takes only a few seconds to aim and fire her arrow. Much faster than Athena thought possible. Katniss's arrow splits the apple in two before embedding itself in the wall. Two Gamemakers have narrow escapes from the passing arrow, including Seneca Crane, the Chief Gamemaker. It causes a great stir, and even the most intoxicated of the Gamemakers looks at Katniss in a new light. Katniss's parting words only reinforce her courage and audacity. She even gives a wink in Athena's direction, although nobody watching would know it was directed at the Avox standing inconspicuously to one side. Athena is delighted at the outcome, but she must be extremely careful not to show her emotions. She's simply a slave and she isn't supposed to show an interest in such things. But Athena is very interested to see that the shy and naïve district girl has what it takes to survive in the Hunger Games arena.

For Katniss the episode is a source of great worry. Despite her bravado inside the room, she fears she may have riled the Gamemakers into anger. It's within their power to award her a score of zero ... a virtual guarantee that she'll attract no sponsors at all. Such a score would make her the laughing stock among the tributes, and humiliate her at the television interview scheduled for tomorrow night. She starts to make her way back to the District Twelve suite alone, but is intercepted by one of the trainers.

"Why are you asking questions about Athena?" demands the trainer in a hushed voice as he takes her elbow and guides her into a doorway.

"Athena? Who's Athena?" replies Katniss, both shocked and annoyed at being accosted in this way.

The trainer thinks for a moment before deciding what to do next. He realises that he's overestimated what Katniss Everdeen knows about Athena. Pushing ahead with this interrogation could only make things worse for his contact and spy among the Avoxes.

"Oh, sorry. I must have been mistaken. It's another tribute I meant to ask."

The trainer moves away but Katniss's whispered words stop him in his tracks.

"I don't know any Athena, but if you mean the red-haired Avox ... RH438, then you can help me."

The trainer quickly returns to where Katniss is still standing in the doorway. At first Katniss is puzzled about why this particular spot is so important. It's takes her a few moments to realise that this doorway must be a blind spot for the numerous security cameras. A whispered conversation might go undetected.

"Why should we help you?" says the trainer quietly. "Who are you working for?"

Katniss is mystified by the trainer's line of questioning. There's obviously much more going on here than Katniss initially believed.

"I'm not working for anybody. And who do you mean by 'we'?"

"You're playing in dangerous territory, tribute. Stay away from things you don't understand."

"It was you who accosted me," snaps Katniss, slightly louder than is prudent.

"Ssshhh! You'll get us all killed. What's your interest in Athena?"

"I met her in District Twelve. In the woods. I didn't help her when she was captured. I feel responsible for her fate."

"Hmmm. Athena mentioned something about seeing a boy and girl at the time of her capture. If that was you, then don't worry. It was her hot-headed boyfriend who got her captured. But she's making the best of a bad job, and I'll not have her efforts ruined by a nosey tribute. Now do us all a favour and keep well away from Athena. Go back to your suite and worry about your own fate."

Katniss leaves as the trainer suggests. But her curiosity is only aroused even more. Despite being an Avox, Athena is obviously still active in whatever traitorous activities she was previously engaged. The law states that Katniss should report such illegal activities, but there's no way she's going to do that. The Capitol has given Katniss a virtual death sentence, so she feels no responsibility towards protecting those in power. However, the thought that there are some Capitol residents who are opposed to President Snow's regime gives her new hope. Perhaps not for herself, given she enters the Hunger Games arena the day after tomorrow, but for her family and friends back in District Twelve.

Athena finds herself in the unusual situation of being the only person, other than the Gamemakers, who know the scores awarded to each tribute before they are officially announced on television. Even some of the Gamemakers are too intoxicated to recall the final scores they have awarded. This comes about because Athena's presence is ignored by everyone gathered around the table as the Gamemakers debate the merits of each tribute. When Athena realises that two of the Gamemakers seem intent on ranking Katniss lower than the tributes from Districts One and Two, Athena ensures the two Gamemakers' glasses are kept full with the most potent spirits. Her trick works when both Gamemakers fall asleep before the final round of voting. While Katniss's skills have earned her a high score, it's Athena's subtle actions which ensure Katniss's score of eleven is the highest of all the twenty four tributes. Athena feels she has done what she can to improve Katniss's chances of success in the arena, but what role Katniss will play in the downfall of President Snow is still a mystery.

Athena is still serving the Gamemakers when the official announcement of the tributes' scores is made. The Gamemakers have made an impressive dent in the mountain of food and drink which was on the table three hours earlier. Nearly all of the Gamemakers have had their fill and are sat around looking mellow. Some who had previously passed out are starting to regain their senses.

"It's a travesty," complains one of the two Gamemakers who had opposed giving Katniss such a high score. "I wouldn't have awarded that cheeky upstart any points at all."

"But you were soundly asleep when we made our final vote," replies another Gamemaker. "You should have gone easy on the alcohol."

"It was that damn Avox who kept filling my cup. It's all her fault."

Athena cringes in genuine fear. A complaint such as this to her supervisor would see her permanently assigned to the wretched service tunnels. She's risked her life for something that may make no difference at all in the end.

"Don't blame others for your own drinking habits," laughs another Gamemaker. "The girl was only doing her job. You'd complain even louder if she'd allowed your cup to run dry."

Athena quietly gives a sigh of relief. It looks as though she may escape punishment. Unfortunately she is wrong. The drunken Gamemaker's remarks have been picked up by the security cameras and reported to her supervisor. While he is not unsympathetic to Athena's plight, he cannot allow her to continue working upstairs. Although nothing is said to Athena, she finds that her duties for the next several days means she never leaves the basement of the Training Centre. She doesn't have a chance to see Katniss again before the tributes enter the Hunger Games arena.

As for Katniss, she is both surprised and delighted by the score the Gamemakers have awarded her. She hasn't forgotten the help Athena had given her. The next day, Katniss makes a point of looking out for the girl in order to thank her, but there is no sign of her. She even risks tracking down the trainer who stopped her yesterday. He doesn't know what has happened to Athena, but he at least promises to pass on Katniss's thanks when he next sees Athena. Assuming nothing dreadful has happened to her.

Katniss cannot afford to spend too much time looking for Athena. She has a television interview tonight, which she is dreading. Tomorrow, she and the other twenty three tributes will enter the arena to fight to the death.


	4. Two victors

4\. Two victors

A groggy Katniss wakes to find herself in some type of medical facility, although she's no idea where. She's survived the 74th Hunger Games, but what about Peeta? Did he survive as well? Through her foggy mind Katniss vaguely remembers hearing the announcement in the arena proclaiming Peeta and her the joint winners of the 74th Hunger Games. But Peeta was badly injured and he looked as though he was unconscious when they lifted the two of them from the arena. Never in the history of the Hunger Games has there been more than one winner. If their retrieval from the arena was too late, then there may still only be one winner.

Katniss looks around her room. Tubes and wires are connected to her body. Above her head, an array of machines flash lights and display charts which mean nothing to Katniss. She tries to sit up, but she quickly realises that she's in no fit state to move at the moment. The medics must be pumping her full of drugs, which are making her light-headed. After a few moments of consciousness she drifts back to sleep.

The door to Katniss's room has a large 'no visitors' sign stuck where nobody can miss it. It strikes Athena as odd that the more seriously injured Peeta is allowed visitors, whereas Katniss is kept in isolation. It's a mystery Athena is determined to investigate. Her experience gained working for the secret organisation trying to overthrow President Snow's regime has given her a sixth sense of when things aren't what they seem to be. And this situation is one of those.

Athena believes her sudden posting to the Training Centre medical wing is Fate playing out it's intricate plan for Athena. Perhaps it is. The nurse who has been be stationed by Katniss's bedside has been assigned to other duties. Cicero Wake, the doctor in charge of Katniss's treatment, protests, but he must content himself with the services of an Avox instead. It isn't a satisfactory situation, but there's nothing the young doctor can do about it.

Katniss slips in and out of consciousness several times over the next few hours. Athena's duty is to ensure Katniss doesn't try to remove the various tubes from her body while she is in a state of semi-consciousness. Athena doesn't know what all the equipment surrounding Katniss is doing, but the doctor must believe every machine to be necessary. Doctor Wake is checking on Katniss's progress when an older doctor enters the room.

"How's the girl doing?" asks a senior doctor of his junior.

"The surgery seems to have worked. She should be regaining consciousness in another half hour or so. Then we'll know for certain whether her hearing has been restored. How's the boy doing?"

"The Mellark boy is out of danger and recovering quickly," replies the senior doctor. "We couldn't save the leg, but he'll soon adjust to the artificial limb. President Snow has ordered that we terminate this one."

"I don't understand," replies Doctor Wake. "The girl is fine. She'll probably make a full recovery. Euthanasia is only permitted in the advanced stages of a terminal illness. That doesn't apply here."

"You don't understand the bigger picture, Wake," replies his senior. "The Treaty of the Treason specifies that the Hunger Games shall deliver only one winner. We have two. One of them must die, and our president has decreed which one is to live, and which one is to die. The girl would have been terminated earlier had we been sure the boy would pull through his surgery. Be smart. Do yourself a favour and simply do as you are instructed."

Athena is alarmed by what she is overhearing. It explains why the nurse was summoned away. Athena must do something, not only to save Katniss, but her own life is in great danger. Even a mute witness to a planned murder is a target for disposal. And disposing of Athena is only a matter of sending the right signal to the device embedded in her arm, and a quick acting lethal drug will enter her blood stream. Fortunately both doctors are ignoring Athena's presence for the moment.

"I'll need a signed form LT1," says Doctor Wake. "All euthanasia situations require a form LT1 signed by the senior doctor. I'll not kill my patient without proper authorisation."

"Pah," mutters the senior doctor. "You've just ruined your promotion prospects, Wake. But very well. I'll have someone deliver a signed LT1 to you shortly. But once you receive it, you must terminate her at once."

The senior doctor storms out of the room, leaving a dejected young man and a shocked Avox behind him. Athena realises she must do something to save both Katniss and herself. Katniss won't be safe until enough witnesses have seen her alive and well. Athena, of course, will never be safe.

An orderly arrives a few minutes later with the dreaded form LT1. Athena is desperately trying to think what she can do, but she can't come up with a workable plan. The orderly leaves and the clearly unhappy doctor prepares what Athena presumes is a lethal injection. He places the syringe in a metal dish by the side of Katniss's bed. Doctor Wake turns away as though he is saying a prayer before carrying out his deadly task. Athena must act now.

Impulse? Inspiration? Fate? Who knows what guides Athena's next move? But she acts quickly and decisively. While Doctor Wake has his back turned towards her, Athena grabs the syringe and jabs it into the doctor's neck. The doctor doesn't have time to react before the deadly liquid has done it's deed. Athena guides the doctor's dead body to the floor.

Finally a plan forms in Athena's mind. Katniss is still unconscious, so Athena's next task is to save herself. She knows that she'll be terminated the moment someone discovers what she has done. To save herself she needs to get rid of the device in her arm. She can feel where the device is located, but removing it requires cutting into her arm, and then sealing the wound afterwards. Athena has never had any medical training, but desperation ... or Fate? ... guides her hand. Fortunately she's in the right place to find the equipment she needs.

A minute later she's holding the bloody device in her hand. She seals the wound in her arm using a small medical device designed for such a purpose. It's one of the few pieces of equipment in this room that Athena has seen used before. Her arm will be sore for a day or so, but the cut has been sealed closed. Now Athena must dispose of the device and work out how she is going to save Katniss and herself.

Perhaps it is Fate controlling her actions, although saying that may be doing Athena an injustice. She's a skilful player in the art of staying alive. Apart from her lamentable mistake in trusting Gideon, Athena has always managed to stay one step ahead of trouble. She realises that the device she has removed from her arm will soon detect that it's no longer embedded in a warm blooded environment. It will then probably trigger an alarm to her supervisor. She needs to buy time by placing the device somewhere suitable. The still-warm doctor's body is the obvious place, but not in a location where the device may be found. That eliminates putting it in his mouth, and cutting him open to insert it may be noticed too. Athena sighs when she realises the only suitable place means pulling down his trousers and doing something Athena finds repulsive. But given the choice between doing something disgusting or being caught and killed, Athena takes the sensible course of action.

Now Athena must rely on an element of luck ... or Fate's continued good favour. She rouses Katniss. She's still groggy, but at least seems to be able to stay awake. Katniss can't see the doctor's body on the floor and is puzzled by Athena's clear signal that she wants Katniss to help her. Why or how is beyond Katniss's understanding at the moment, but she nevertheless nods in agreement.

Then Athena presses the alarm alerting medical staff of a patient in need of urgent attention. This is the signal Doctor Wake would have sent once he'd killed Katniss. Unsurprisingly the senior doctor is the first to arrive.

Doctor Fuller is genuinely horrified at the sight before him. Not because of any concern for the expendable young doctor lying dead on the floor, but because his own life is now in danger. A simple plan has been turned into an unmitigated disaster. But how? Fuller's first action is to pick up the form LT1 from the table where Doctor Wake had left it. He tears it into tiny pieces before placing it in the bin for hazardous waste. Then he rushes forward to the body on the floor and quickly disposes of the syringe lying next to Doctor Wake. It's obvious that Wake has cheated death at Fuller's hands by taking his own life first. Fuller didn't think the young doctor was smart enough to have realised his life was forfeit the moment he executed the Everdeen girl. Now Fuller must kill the girl himself.

But he's too late. The medical alert has brought a host of other doctors and nurses into the room. Fortunately for Fuller, the Everdeen girl hasn't seen what he's done so far. But the Avox has. Fuller must deal with the current crisis before disposing of both girls. The last thing he wants to do is to admit his failure to President Snow. The president isn't a forgiving man, and Fuller doesn't delude himself into believing that he'll escape with his life. Perhaps he should cut his losses and run.

"Take Doctor Wake to my consulting room," orders Fuller. "I'll attend to him personally."

"But Doctor Fuller, he's dead," replies one of the newly arrived doctors who has taken it upon himself to examine Wake's body.

"Fool!" snaps Fuller. "Of course he's not dead. He's in a coma. I'm aware of the man's medical condition. You are endangering his life by delaying. Now move!"

Two doctors and a nurse obey their superior despite their misgivings. Fuller looks around and sees that a doctor and two nurses remain. They are busy checking on Katniss. Fuller fails to notice that the doctor has halted the flow of fluids feeding into Katniss's arm. If Fuller can get the doctor and nurses to leave, then there still remains a slim chance of success.

"Return to your duties," orders Fuller as he shoos the doctor and nurses out of the room. He doesn't have time to deal with Katniss now, since people will become suspicious if he fails to arrive in his consulting room to treat the supposedly still alive Doctor Wake.

"Lock the door behind me. Don't allow anyone to enter this room until I return," Fuller orders Athena.

Athena nods in response and she is once again left alone with Katniss.

"What's going on?" asks Katniss, her senses finally returning to normal now the flow of drugs has been stopped. "Did Peeta make it out alive? Is he OK?"

Athena grabs a pen and paper. She writes 'Peeta OK. They are trying to kill you' and shows it to Katniss. Katniss understands at once and she removes the tubes from her arms. Even with Athena's help, it takes her a couple of minutes before she is free to move about. She's not in a fit state to run anywhere, but at least she can stand up without falling over. The two girls make a move towards the door, but unfortunately Fuller returns before they can get away. Athena thinks about refusing to open the door, but Fuller has his own master key to let himself in.

Fuller doesn't seem surprised by what he sees. He suspected the Avox was a lot cleverer than the average Avox. He picks up his communications device and makes a call.

"This is Doctor Fuller. Terminate the Avox you assigned to the Everdeen girl's room. RH438. Yes. Immediately. Your Avox has just killed Katniss Everdeen."

Fuller's message removes any lingering doubt Katniss may have had about Athena's warning. Athena gives a weak cry and collapses to the floor. Katniss looks firstly at Athena and then at the crazy doctor. This situation is every bit as dangerous as Katniss's fight with the Careers inside the arena. Katniss backs away and Fuller follows her moves. Then suddenly Fuller is face down on the floor. As soon as his back was turned towards Athena, she ceased faking her own death and cracked him on the head with a metal bar from one of the pieces of equipment. Katniss wants to finish the man off, but Athena guides her out of the room instead. They need to find an independent witness ... several if possible ... who can certify that Katniss is alive and well.

Peeta's room is the obvious destination. Any other witness could be murdered to ensure their silence, but Fuller can hardly kill the boy who President Snow has decided is the victor of the 74th Hunger Games. Haymitch and Effie are with Peeta when Katniss and Athena burst into the room. Katniss quickly tells them what is going on and Haymitch dashes to Katniss's room to confront Doctor Fuller. Be he arrives too late; the doctor has decided to get out while he still can.

As for Athena, she quietly slips out of the room. She has her own plan of escape. Thanks to Doctor Fuller, her supervisor believes her to be dead. The lethal drug from the device Athena removed from her arm will have been injected into the already dead Doctor Wake's body. And thanks to the laziness of the Avox controllers, "her" body will have been removed and incinerated by one of the robots used to dispose of dead Avoxes. Since most Avox deaths occur in the filth of the underground service tunnels, the Avox controllers simply send a robot to deal with the body. The body is identified by the signal from the device embedded inside the Avox, and nobody bothers with an autopsy. Somebody may wonder whatever happened to Doctor Wake, but Doctor Fuller's disappearance will probably attract more interest from the authorities in the short term.

Athena finds a store cupboard and swaps her Avox uniform for a cleaner's overalls. A few minutes later she is out of the building and melting into the Capitol's crowds. Hundreds of people are surrounding the Training Centre in the hope of seeing the Hunger Games victors. The crowd soon gets its wish when Peeta and Katniss appear on a balcony and wave to the multitude below. The 74th Hunger Games has two victors despite President Snow's wish to the contrary.


	5. Political games

5\. Political games

The official version of the attempted murder of Katniss Everdeen inside the Training Centre medical wing bears little resemblance to reality. The sham of an investigation decides, despite evidence to the contrary, that Doctors Fuller and Wake were part of a conspiracy to discredit President Snow and his government. The witnesses among the medical staff know better than to challenge the investigators' conclusions. The investigators note that both doctors have since disappeared and warrants for their arrest have been issued. The authorities have dismissed the whole matter as the actions of a pair of terrorists who will be brought to justice in the fullness of time. Katniss knows it's all a cover up, but she's unable to provide proof. Her only reliable witness, Athena, has disappeared, and Katniss is determined not to wreck Athena's chance of freedom. The investigators' report makes no mention of an Avox, rather than a nurse, being present in Katniss's room, so it's possible Athena might escape.

In a fake atmosphere of celebration and goodwill, President Snow crowns Katniss and Peeta as joint victors of the 74th Hunger Games. Had President Snow simply accepted the outcome and allowed both tributes to return to District Twelve to live out their much improved lives, then events might have unfolded differently. A more tolerant attitude by President Snow could certainly have prevented Katniss from becoming the figurehead needed by those opposing his regime. A figurehead that the Athena and her allies are quick to adopt.

Initially, Katniss is unaware that she's rapidly becoming the symbol of resistance to President Snow's regime. It's not until the winter 'Victors Tour' of the twelve districts and the Capitol that she realises that she has unknowingly become a role model and symbol of hope. As far as Katniss is aware, this has all come about without her doing anything. Indeed, she'd much prefer it if she was allowed to live in peace and quiet. Unfortunately for Katniss, the constant thrust and counter-thrust by powerful political players in the Capitol and beyond have hijacked the symbol she has unwittingly become.

Historians will undoubtedly speculate that had President Snow realised that Katniss was an innocent pawn in a deadly game played by others, then her role as the symbol of resistance might have soon faded into nothing. In this respect, President Snow's own supporters let him down. There are those in the resistance who already believe that the general unrest caused by Katniss's defiance in the Hunger Games arena is a spent force. But President Snow repeatedly assumes Katniss is a willing participant in the plots against him, and his actions soon force Katniss down the only path open to her ... a closer relationship with Peeta Mellark, and the stirrings of genuine defiance to President Snow's rule.

Katniss's developing relationship with Peeta follows a very rocky path. Although Peeta has openly admitted strong admiration and feelings for Katniss, her response so far has been more reserved. In the arena, their pretend romance helped Peeta and Katniss to survive. Unfortunately President Snow now demands that it continue ... indefinitely. Gradually Katniss accepts her fate, although her heart is slower to respond. In Katniss's eyes, overthrowing President Snow's regime takes priority over any romantic liaison.

Athena attributes Katniss's new role as the actions of Fate. If it is, then Fate certainly gets a helping hand from Athena and her allies. Armed with a new identity supplied by the secret organisation opposed to President Snow, Athena has resumed her political and subversive activities. There's nothing that can be done to restore her ability to speak, so Athena must adapt to a lifetime of being mute. Some of her allies believe that her mutilation might be for the better. Athena has a reputation for strong opinions and a fiery disposition, and she must now learn how to express those feelings in silence. Athena, however, is far from being daunted by the limitations in her ability to communicate. Her time as an Avox has taught her other ways of communicating as her allies soon discover.

For a while, Katniss and Athena go about their lives without thinking about the other. Despite the misgivings of some, the resistance begins moulding the symbol of Katniss around her actions inside the 74th Hunger Games arena. Indeed, the symbol is in danger of rapidly moving away from reality and into the realms of legend and fantasy. Katniss as a person is almost irrelevant to the plans of those seeking to use her as a symbol in the overthrow of President Snow. That suddenly changes when President Snow decides that the pending nuptials between Katniss and Peeta should be used for pro-government propaganda. Athena and her allies react quickly. This propaganda must be nipped in the bud before their carefully crafted symbol is seized from their grasp, and becomes corrupted.

Athena is one of the few members of the secret organisation to know that Plutarch Heavensbee ... the new Chief Gamemaker ... is sympathetic to their cause. He's not a member of the organisation, but then, technically, nobody else is either. It's hardly the sort of organisation which keeps an official membership list. The organisation doesn't even have a name. In a seemingly innocent sequence of events, Plutarch Heavensbee employs Athena as one of his many assistants. Organising the 75th Hunger Games will be no easy task. It's a Quarter Quell this year; a once in 25 years event when the Hunger Games are played to special rules. The previous Quarter Quell was run with twice the usual number of tributes. The special rules for this one were determined when the Hunger Games were established, and are reputedly kept in a sealed box to which the Chief Gamemaker has the only key.

From humble beginnings, a plan which sets out to counter the pro-government propaganda surrounding Katniss and Peeta's forthcoming wedding, soon takes shape in a much grander plot. A plot which could spell the beginning of the end for President Snow. It's difficult to say how much of the final plan is Plutarch Heavensbee's idea, and how much originates from Athena. Both conspirators are intelligent, cunning and ruthless in achieving their goals. They are willing to work together, even though their personal goals are slightly different. They have one common goal, however, and that is to overthrow President Snow's regime. It's what happens once President Snow is deposed where Plutarch Heavensbee and Athena have completely different ideas. But that's an issue for much later. If President Snow can't be removed from office, then the difference in Heavensbee's and Athena's political goals aren't going to matter.

Athena has known for a while that Heavensbee is an agent of the military regime running District Thirteen. A district which isn't supposed to exist any more. But it does. It's very presence is an indication that President Snow's regime isn't as powerful as it pretends, and it's a hidden threat to the security of a future Panem. In their desperation, it was District Thirteen which was Athena's and Gabriel's destination when they fled the Capitol. The flight in which Fate first introduced Athena to Katniss Everdeen.

The two conspirators have different ideas about the value of Katniss to the cause. To Plutarch Heavensbee, Katniss is merely an unpredictable and headstrong youth who can't and shouldn't be relied upon. Her role should be kept to a minimum; someone to distract President Snow from the real game being played out. Heavensbee is more interested in developing Peeta Mellark as a mouthpiece and symbol for the resistance to President Snow's regime. The Mellark boy is far more malleable and trustworthy. His natural easy going banter is far more useful than Katniss's moody glares. To Heavensbee, Katniss is merely a tool to be used, and her usefulness is already waning. Athena firmly believes otherwise. It was Katniss she met in the woods that day, not Peeta. It was Katniss who spoke to her at the table in the District Twelve suite. It was Katniss's room to which Athena was assigned in the medical wing. Fate keeps directing Athena towards Katniss, and Athena knows to trust Fate and her own instincts.

Katniss, of course, is unaware of the machinations in the Capitol which will change her life forever. The brutal crackdown by the peacekeepers is a far more immediate threat to life in District Twelve. However, far from beating Katniss and others into submission, the peacekeepers' cruel actions only strengthen Katniss's resolve to resist. The announcement of the tribute selection criteria for the 75th Hunger Games is the final straw. It only increases her determination to fight the evil regime which oppresses the ordinary people of the districts.

Athena isn't proud of her role in having Katniss and other Hunger Games' victors fight in the arena once more. If there was another way, Athena would probably have chosen it. A lesser person would have consoled themselves with the thought that it is President Snow, acting on the advice of Plutarch Heavensbee, who has ordered that the Hunger Games reaping be limited to former victors. But she admits to being the co-architect of the plan she has hatched with Plutarch Heavensbee, and deep down she knows it's the only one with any chance of success. A slim one at that, but Fate has kept Athena alive so far and she has no doubt that Fate will also protect Katniss ... at least until President Snow is overthrown. Then both of their lives may be forfeit. Indeed, it is difficult to see how she and Katniss can survive the aftermath. Failure to overthrow President Snow will certainly result in the deaths of those conspiring against him. If those in power in District Thirteen are the new rulers of Panem, then execution or long prison sentences await potential dissenters like Athena and Katniss. Only if a true consensus government emerges, representing both Capitol and district interests alike, can the two of them hope to survive the chaos which will follow the demise of President Snow. Athena knows that at some stage, she and Plutarch Heavensbee will be on opposing sides. But not yet.

Although Katniss is now constantly in the mind of Athena, the same cannot be said in reverse. For Katniss, fleeting thoughts of the red haired Avox girl who saved her life only arouse idle speculation about her whereabouts. Katniss is too preoccupied with her pending entry into the Hunger Games arena once more. Unlike the other former Hunger Games' victors, Katniss knows for certain that she'll be one of the two tributes representing her district. Until Reaping Day, Peeta and Haymitch only know that one of them will be a tribute, and the other District Twelve's sole mentor. It gives Katniss a slight advantage, but not much.

At Athena's insistence, Plutarch Heavensbee assigns each of his assistants the task of ensuring their nominated tribute escapes from the 75th Hunger Games arena. Not all of the tributes are earmarked for retrieval, and, of course, not all of them may survive the fighting inside the arena before a rescue can be made. Only those Plutarch Heavensbee believes will help his sponsor's cause will be flown to the safety of District Thirteen. The other surviving tributes will be left for the Gamemakers to retrieve.

Once the names of all the tributes are known, the final list of eight tributes to be rescued is prepared. Athena makes sure she is assigned to overseeing Katniss's rescue. Plutarch Heavensbee makes his most experienced assistant responsible for Peeta Mellark's retrieval. It's a sound plan, but Fate doesn't always agree with the planner. As the events which follow prove, experience doesn't always guarantee success. When the time comes, Athena has relatively little difficulty in locating and directing Katniss's retrieval from the arena. Peeta isn't so fortunate. His potential rescuer loses track of him at the critical moment and the tiny window of opportunity is lost. Peeta is abandoned with the other tributes left standing inside the wrecked arena.

Plutarch Heavensbee is livid at the failure to rescue Peeta, although Athena isn't there to witness his mood. As arranged, Heavensbee is on board a craft taking him and the rescued tributes to District Thirteen. Athena and the other assistants are to remain in the Capitol. Some of the assistants mingle with the bewildered technicians. The technicians are left wondering what has caused the disastrous explosion which destroyed part of the arena, and caused a power surge which fried their equipment. The back up generators and equipment are slowly enabling the restoration of control, but none of the technicians have yet realised that some of the tributes have escaped. Athena decides caution is the best course of action, and she quietly hides herself away. She predicts that as soon as President Snow and the other Gamemakers realise that Plutarch Heavensbee has betrayed them, then anybody associated with him or the 75th Hunger Games is likely to be rounded up and interrogated. And once they discover that several tributes are missing, then the executions are likely to begin.

It takes several days and yet another new identity before Athena is safe from pursuit. The organisation's spies inside the peacekeepers headquarters confirm that anybody involved with control of the 75th Hunger Games arena is being interrogated. All of Heavensbee's assistants are being detained, although three are reported to have escaped with Heavensbee himself. Some detainees have been executed, and many more are being held indefinitely for further questioning. Athena knows only too well what that means ... few people ever walk to freedom from the cells designated for indefinite detainees. Peeta and some of the other tributes are being held there as well.

Athena persuades her allies that they must do something to rescue those detained. Rescuing the tributes is probably beyond the organisation's capabilities, but saving the other detainees might be achievable. They are citizens of the Capitol, so they are both easier to hide and they are a valuable source of new fighters. There's no doubt in Athena's mind that the seeds of revolution have been sown and the organisation must ensure that they quickly take root. Her allies agree that action is required, but valuable time is wasted in debating what to do next.


	6. Final assault

6\. Final assault

Peeta's rescue from President Snow's clutches nearly brings about Katniss's death at Peeta's hands. It's a narrowly avoided tragedy which perhaps should have been anticipated. Nevertheless Katniss is relieved that Peeta is safe in District Thirteen. She can only hope that he recovers from the torture and brainwashing Snow's regime inflicted upon him. The doctors warn that Peeta will be ill for some time to come, but they are hopeful that he'll eventually regain his sanity. Hopeful, but not certain.

Details of how such a daring, and highly improbable, rescue mission succeeded are a closely guarded secret. Katniss's good friend, Gale, was on the mission, but he knows little of the planning behind it all. Despite being tight-lipped, it is obvious that Plutarch Heavensbee had a hand in the planning. It doesn't take a genius to realise that he must have contacts inside the Capitol who helped with the mission. Curiosity isn't encouraged inside District Thirteen, so Katniss's questioning soon attracts unwelcome attention. Nothing sinister, but she is effectively blocked from finding out anything more. Even Gale stops answering her questions. She must be satisfied with the official version of the rescue.

Would Katniss be surprised if she discovered that Athena was part of the Capitol's rebel team who helped with the mission? Possibly. Katniss has never seen Athena in any role other than as a fugitive or slave. She knows very little of the real Athena. Were it not for an unlikely coincidence ... Fate? ... she would have pushed Athena to the back of her mind and all but forgotten her.

With the mentally unstable Peeta unfit to provide Plutarch Heavensbee with his preferred public face of the rebellion, Heavensbee must be satisfied with the erratic and moody Katniss Everdeen. In fairness to Katniss, she's doing her best now that Peeta is out of President Snow's reach. Haymitch is helping to coach her as well. It's just that Katniss's best efforts fall well short of Plutarch Heavensbee's expectations. In desperation, Haymitch makes Katniss watch some of the television broadcasts of Plutarch Heavensbee taken before the 75th Hunger Games, in the hope that Katniss might learn something about body language. Heavensbee is a master showman and Katniss could learn a lot from watching recordings of his public appearances. She does. But not what Haymitch expects.

"That girl standing next to Plutarch Heavensbee!" exclaims Katniss to Haymitch as they watch a recording of an interview shortly before the 75th Hunger Games. "That's Athena. The Avox who helped me in the Training Centre during the 74th Hunger Games."

"Hmmm," replies Haymitch. "There is a likeness, but I don't think that can be the Avox you mean. After what happened in the medical wing, I think that Avox girl will have met with a fatal accident before now."

"I'm sure it's her," insists Katniss. "What's she doing there? It looks as though she's on Heavensbee's staff. Let's ask him."

"No," replies Haymitch. "You're supposed to be studying how to give speeches that rouse people into rebellion. Forget about the girl and focus on the task at hand."

Katniss isn't so easily deflected from her path. Seeing Athena again revives Katniss's memories of the red-haired girl. Her interest may only be curiosity, but somehow Katniss feels it's something more than that. When Katniss finally gets a chance to ask Plutarch Heavensbee about Athena, his evasive answers only confirm that Athena is far more than a passerby who accidentally got into the picture during a live broadcast. Since Athena never felt the need to tell Plutarch Heavensbee that she and Katniss have met before, Katniss easily spots the falseness in Heavensbee's story. His lies also make Katniss pay more attention to the goals of the different factions within the rebellion. She now realises that, other than the common goal of overthrowing President Snow's regime, not everybody in the rebellion is working towards the same outcome. It makes Katniss become wary of those whom she is helping. By helping the leaders of District Thirteen she may be working towards replacing one tyrannical regime with another. Katniss faces a dilemma.

Athena is also facing a dilemma, although hers is in more immediate need of resolving. The rescue of those imprisoned after the events following the 75th Hunger Games was a costly success. Not quite in the category of a Pyrrhic victory, but not far off. With the help of a military unit from District Thirteen, nearly all of those imprisoned have been freed, and the Hunger Games' tributes flown to District Thirteen. But the military unit ignored the other prisoners, and left it to Athena and fifteen other poorly equipped volunteers to free them. They were too small a group for such an ambitious mission, and as a result the prisoners they freed were left to their own devices. The prisoners scattered in all directions. Some were soon recaptured and executed. Some never even made it out of the prison complex. The loss of life among those working for the organisation is higher than the rebellion can really afford. Sure, the rescue has secured more new recruits for the organisation than the number of lives lost in the assault, but none of the new recruits can match the skills of the six rebels killed in the attack. Worse still, the organisation is now dividing itself into two factions. Those in favour of a closer alliance with District Thirteen, and those, like Athena, who are opposed. Athena must decide what to do. Those favouring an alliance are in the process of taking control of the organisation.

Until now, the nameless organisation has been a nebulous group with no formal chain of command. Such an arrangement has made it difficult for President Snow's agents to infiltrate the organisation, and, so far, it has protected members from betrayal should one of their number be captured. However, as the group discovered when participating in the attack on the prison, such an informal arrangement creates havoc when it comes to military style operations. Lives were lost because of the lack of cohesion between those assaulting the prison. The majority favour an alliance with District Thirteen, and Athena parts company with the organisation. For the first time in years, she is truly alone. At first Athena feels lost, and at times she thinks about her decision to break away from the others. However, Fate always intervenes before she can act and Fate provides her with a new goal. Within a matter of a few weeks, Athena is politically active once again.

Athena isn't the only former Avox working against President Snow's regime. Their shared dislike for President Snow before they were arrested, and their experience as state slaves afterwards, draws them together like a magnet. However, unlike her new friends, Athena hasn't served out her sentence and been officially released from bondage. Since the authorities believe they have executed Avox RH438, Athena is relatively safe from discovery by official eyes, but the risk of betrayal is still a worry to her. A few of her friends probably suspect Athena is an escaped Avox, although none will betray her. Fortunately for Athena, there is a code of honour among former Avoxes.

Before long a plan forms in Athena's mind. One she knows she can carry out with the help of her new friends. Indeed, involving anybody else will only add to the risk of discovery. Once the districts are free, the rebel armies will turn their attention to the Capitol. But President Snow will defend the Capitol with every resource he can muster, making a surface assault very costly. An attack through the underground service tunnels would be safer, providing every defensive position and booby trap can be identified and disabled. A task which an Avox is best placed to achieve. The squads of Avoxes working underground are all but ignored by the sentries watching the tunnels for intruders. Athena and her friends could gather a great deal of information without the sentries being aware of what is happening. Work begins with a matter of days, and the defences in large parts of the tunnel network are mapped within a few weeks. From then on it is simply a matter of keeping the map up to date.

When the districts are finally free of President Snow's forces, the rebel armies move to surround the Capitol. At first they seem content to sit and wait for the lack of basic supplies to take effect on the Capitol's population. Unfortunately such a tactic probably benefits President Snow more than the rebels. Athena knows that the alliance between District Thirteen and the other districts is fragile, and that a prolonged siege will only provide President Snow with a chance to drive a wedge between the different rebel leaders. That's what happened 75 years earlier, when the leaders of District Thirteen abandoned their allies and made a separate peace with the Capitol. That betrayal is never far from any of the rebel leaders' minds.

Nobody expected President Snow to give up power without a fight. In that respect, he lives up to expectations and proves to be quite ruthless. Preserving the life of Capitol citizens is no longer a consideration in President Snow's planning. He clings onto power, even after all of the districts have slipped from his grasp. The Capitol's defences have been reinforced with very kind of weapon and device imaginable. Information gathered by the organisation Athena once helped proves useful to the District Thirteen commanders, but it is by no means complete. Nor do those commanders feel the need to share all their knowledge with the commanders of the armed forces from other districts. It's Athena and the former Avoxes who provide the district commanders with vital intelligence to aid their assault.

The final assault costs many lives on both sides. The casualties among the civilian population are particularly high. Despite these losses, the rebel leaders acknowledge that the losses on both sides would have been much greater had it not been for the information provided by the rebel groups inside the Capitol. A collective sigh of relief is shared by everybody when President Snow finally surrenders and the casualty count proves less disastrous than originally predicted. For Katniss Evrdeen though, there is one casualty too many. Her sister, Prim, is killed by a bomb at the moment of triumph.

Katniss also knows that her own survival is due to the information gathered about the traps in the underground tunnels. The team she was part of was supposed to be for publicity purposes only; fake attacks, heroic speeches and the like. Instead of being safely away from the real fighting, they find themselves lured into a trap, escape from which places them in the vanguard of the assault. Was it a deliberate move by the commanders of District Thirteen that places Katniss in danger, or is it an accident of Fate?

Throughout the whole rebellion, both Katniss and Athena have periodically thought about the other, without ever coming into contact. Each carried out their own duties without realising their actions were intertwined. Things done by one them influenced the actions of the other. Speeches broadcast by Katniss reinforced the determination of Athena to succeed in her mission, while Athena's spying gained life saving information for the rebels.

Eventually Katniss and Athena are reunited. Two dictator presidents ... President Snow and President Coin of District Thirteen ... are both dead by this time. Athena being responsible for the death of President Snow; Katniss for the death of President Coin. In the muddle and confusion during the public ceremony at which Katniss was supposed to execute President Snow, but instead assassinated President Coin, nobody stopped Athena stepping forward with a knife to complete the task Katniss volunteered to carry out. President Snow never saw Athena silently approach the wooden post to which he was bound. He was dead in an instant, and Athena had melted back into the crowd before anybody noticed. Even the ample television coverage failed to capture the moment of Snow's death, nor did it record the identity of his killer.

In a strange reversal of roles, Athena enjoys her first taste of true freedom, while Katniss is imprisoned and must suffer the wrath of President Coin's supporters. It would be easy for Athena to simply walk away and start making a new life for herself. After all, she and Katniss barely know each other, and neither owes any responsibility to the other. But Athena doesn't simply walk away. She could easily attribute her actions to Fate, but saying Fate is involved denies the underlying caring nature of the red haired girl. Athena does what she can to neutralise the hostility towards Katniss, and her efforts are rewarded when Katniss is exiled to District Twelve rather than executed as a murderer. Athena doesn't expect thanks for her work in freeing Katniss, and she doesn't receive any. Katniss is mentally exhausted and in no fit state to appreciate what others have done to help her. However, Katniss has acquired a new neighbour in District Twelve, and after a while she remembers where she's previously seen the red haired woman living next door.

It's the start of a very long friendship.

[The end]


End file.
